My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Ragged Robin]

Lovely plants looking so pristine, Kristi,

Very rare here, A. exaltata is an edge-of-woodland plant.

I love the way this plant hangs and displays itself - where is it more usually found?

All your photos are so interesting in the detail and the photo of Calopogon tuberosa is lovely

[illingworth]

And of course the well-known and beautiful A. tuberosa; which no garden should be without.

Sadly, our garden is without this plant, Kristl. It survives our winter, but in my experience, and in that of a gardening friend here, it never gets to be more than a sad, scrawny little thing, so we both no longer have it.

[Roma]

Photos beautiful and informative, Kristl.  I have learned tonight the Pogonia ophioglossoides I bought last year from a well known Scottish nurseryman is in fact Calopogon tuberosa, but still well worth having. 

[Kristl Walek]

I love the way this plant hangs and displays itself - where is it more usually found?
I agree, Robin. Asclepias exaltata is a very elegant milkweed. In Canada it only occurs in Quebec and Ontario, and is uncommon throughout. It is fairly widespread throughout the eastern USA, although I believe it is not that common anywhere. In fact the arrangement of those drooping flowers make it quite unique in the Asclepias genus.

[Kristl Walek]

Photos beautiful and informative, Kristl.  I have learned tonight the Pogonia ophioglossoides I bought last year from a well known Scottish nurseryman is in fact Calopogon tuberosa, but still well worth having. 

Roma,
No, that well known Scottish nurseryman DID sell you the right plant---it is I who labelled my pictures backwards---and had you not written this, I would not have noticed. Thank you. With my move almost imminent, I am just a bit overworked and lacking sleep....

I will correct the pictures asap.

[Kristl Walek]

On the shores of a particular lake here Linnaea borealis grows in large populations on limestone boulders. At it's feet, Drosera rotundifolia has begun covering the fallen trunks of trees half-lying in the water.

[Kristl Walek]

And in one portion of the lake itself Brasenia schreberi has sent up it's purple flowers.

Along the wet shoreline, one can see drifts of Cephalanthus occidentalis (Button Bush), Cornus amomum (the Silky Dogwood) and Thalictrum pubescens.

[Kristl Walek]

Some of our native Lysimachia (moisture-loving plants).

L. ciliata --nodding flowers; petals have pointed tips. Fringed along petioles (leaf stalks).

L. quadrifolia (quad=4):
Leaves in whorls of four.
Four Flowers on each set of whorled leaves.

L. terrestris (Swamp Candle). Very showy spike of flowers.

Ptelea trifoliata (Hop Tree) is a small tree that has it's only occurence in all of Canada in this province, where it is listed as a threatened species. It grows in open woods and thickets. The seeds were once used as a substitute for hops in beer.

Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory) is well-known for it's beautiful bark.

[Kristl Walek]

A meadow of Penstemon hirsutus, flowering with Packera paupericula, followed by the equally easy in culture, P. digitalis.

The common Rudbeckia hirta in full bloom.

And the pretty, very hardy biennial Capnoides (Corydalis) sempervirens, with a range right up into the Yukon.

[Kristl Walek]

With my move in about 3 weeks now, this may be my last update on the long-range germination tests I have been doing for the upcoming book.

All these tests were done with the seeds inside zip lock bags in moist vermiculite. The cold treatment was provided in the fridge.

Here is Mitchella repens---after warm-cold-warm-cold-warm (2 cold treatments).
And Uvularia grandiflora and U. sessilifolia (one cold treatment), although seed had been moist packed after collection. Thus warm-cold-warm. Both Uvualaria have produced double radicles, and the beginning of the first shoot is evident in both.

[Maggi Young]

It is rivetting to see the amount of life in these tiny packages.

Best of luck with the move, Kristl. I feel rather helpless that we are all too far away to be of any use in helping with your move: we'll just have to send a concerted effort of Forum  Good Wishes to you for a successful transfer of you and the plant to your new home and base. 

[Kristl Walek]

The Trillium germination is of course the most exciting.
Earlier this year I posted the following note with the first picture:

I have earlier this year shown you the benefits of dealing promptly with Trillium species after harvest. Even if you are not able to sow them immediately, there is a tremendous advantage to moist-packing the seed to keep it viable and in rhythm with what would happen if the seed dispersed naturally. Many species will, in fact, germinate within the first 6 months if they are dealt with in this manner and are in warm conditions. Others will not not sprout until the seed has had cold treatment.

Just to remind you, I will repost a picture of moist-packed Trillium grandiflorum (collected in July, 2008). By October this is what I saw inside my zip-lock bags.

What one has to remember about the above is that you will *not* have radicle emergence of Trillium grandiflorum in the first (warm) stretch IF YOU LIVE IN A COLD PLACE and sow the seeds naturally outdoors. This will only work if you keep them warm indoors artificially. I am not sure what level of cold they can tolerate and still germinate the first season.

The second picture shows the germination as of today of a second batch of T. grandiflorum seed that went into the cold prior to radicle emergence. In other words, this batch did what seed would naturally do in a northern climate (warm-cold-warm). I believe this is just radicle emergence again, but it is too early to tell. I saw no evidence of top growth.

And here are Trillium undulatum and T. cernuum, both having been moist packed after collection, kept at warm for many months, and then given one cold treatment. Both appear to be proceeding to top growth as well. There was rather massive germination in these two bags.

The most difficult of the species I tested appears to have been T. erectum. This again was moist packed after collection, kept warm, then it required two cold periods. (warm-cold-warm-cold-warm). I have not yet had large germination from this batch, so further treatments may be necessary. The seedlings that *are* sprouted, appear to be initiating top growth as well.

[Kristl Walek]

Best of luck with the move, Kristl. I feel rather helpless that we are all too far away to be of any use in helping with your move: we'll just have to send a concerted effort of Forum  Good Wishes to you for a successful transfer of you and the plant to your new home and base. 

Maggi....thank you for your support. There has been nothing easy or fun about the trials of the past 3 months---it has been absolutely dreadful and not for public consumption. If only it had been so easy as to say good-bye to this place, pack up the most precious of my plants and throw out the bulk of my accumulated life here of 20 years!!!!

The first string of really big obstacles centered on the LOWEST of my original moving quotes: that being for $14,000 (YES, that is FOURTEEN THOUSAND Canadian Dollars)---and only for my household (not including the separate truck I was already renting to move the plants on my own which was another $3,000).

It is only today, I believe I have finally found a trustworthy, private mover FROM ALBERTA of all places, who will be able to do the main move of the household for significantly less, but of course I will still have to hire some strong bodies to loan up and unload---and to quickly sell more of my belongings to pay him!!!!! I have spent all of today "negotiating deals" with buyers of my belongings.

But I keep reminding myself that there IS an end to this torture; and a new beginning on the other side. I can't wait to wander around in the wilds of Nova Scotia!!!!!! This keeps me going.

[Maggi Young]

Dear Kristl, rest assured that there will be a great new beginning in Nova Scotia... and we here will be eagerly awaiting your stories of it...... don't think we will give you peace to settle in.... we'll want to share all the news as it happens. And, of course, we are completely addicted to your reports of your surroundings and your most illuminating researches, so we'll be hoping for a new beginning to those, too!!
 
 

[annew]

I'll agree to that, Kristl. Here's wishing you a problem-free (as much as it can be) move. I look forward to hearing from your new abode.